forest of dean

the_prophet

Hi,

just finsihed building my new xc bike, incl. egg beater pedals. i've not used clipless for a long long time so was hoping to head over to the FOD at some point over the weekend to ease myself back into using them on the family trail.

obviously its not the most exciting ride in the world, but i am aware there are a number of sections of singletrack / trails skattered around the forest. Anyone have a map or a link to somewhere showing where these "hidden" sections are?

have had a quick search on the net but could only find talk of and people sayin to get someone who knows the area, which is not really what i wanted.

Any help would be great, Thanks.

moorjohn

Hi - did you go?

Me and 2 friends are looking for some easy-ish riding for a lad's weekend. FoD is good to get to, and the Wye Valley is loverly I remember. There is a bike shop there which two of us will have to hire from. Does anyone live round there - know any routes - how muddy will it be in late october - any info gratefully received

moojohn

Buckle

Just ask some of the locals at the bike hire place for Dowies Trail. If it's still there (haven't been for about 10 years!!) you won't be disappointed. Might need a local to show you the way though.

moorjohn

Thanks for that Buckle. What time of year were you there?

moorjohn

Buckle

Blimey <racks brain>

I'm sure it was later on in the year, maybe October time. I remember getting back to our digs around 5pm and it was getting dark. The uphill riding was quite heavy in places but mostly ok, especially the downhills and singletrack. And, Dowies was fantastic. Loads of little switchbacks and narrow singletrack. Fantastic.

spittle

There's a good technical track next to Pedalabikeaway bike hire place. Been there a couple of times as a confident beginner with a reasonable amount of bottle and loved it. Some pretty steep uphills, nice downhills etc. Two of my mates had to get off and walk, and me and another mate went with a bit more speed.

Can anyone compare this trail to others in the area? I'm currently living in Bristol and would love to get out and about MTBing more.

sweep

There are some fantastic trails in the FOD and the downhill trails to the skills area p*ss on most of the trails at CYB for steepness and requirement for bottle. Some of the young locals fly down these. As an older chap I am more cautious but still enjoy it.